Call for Immediate Action to Stop Noxious Second Hand Smoke in our Building

In October of 2007, the 520 Club opened at 520 Water Street on the ground floor of our residential condominium building, Corliss Landing, located between South Main and South Water Streets.

The ground floor of Corliss Landing consists of businesses and the 2nd & 3rd floor house 69 residential condo units. The 520 Club is operating as a Cigar Bar resulting in second hand smoke, carcinogenic fumes, and noxious odors infiltrating throughout the building and into the common corridors, lobby, elevator, and living areas of our homes.

The situation is becoming increasingly worse with each month and is a danger to our health and quality of Life. The short term health effects have been aggravated sinus problems in residents, watery eyes, and difficulty breathing.

According to the American Lung Association-

"Secondhand smoke is a Group A carcinogen because it is a known cause of lung cancer in humans and contains 4,000 chemicals including known poisons such as formaldehyde, benzene, and hydrogen cyanide."

The U.S. Surgeon General states that "Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increased their risk of developing heart disease by 25-30 percent and lung cancer by 20-30 percent." They further state that "Even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot completely eliminate secondhand smoke exposure and that only smoke-free environments afford full protection."

At the present time, the residents of Corliss Landing have filed claims with the Dept. of Health in Rhode Island, and have made Councilman Seth Yurdin aware of our plight.

Club 520 has been aware of the adverse effects their Cigar Club has had at Corliss Landing, but have not been responsive in correcting the situation. On March 14th, 2008, The City Solicitors office filed a complaint against the owners of the 520 Club to appear in the Providence Municipal court for a hearing on this matter.

We are currently awaiting the date for this hearing.